The number of at-large selections was 34 until 2010, 37 from 2011-2013 (after the expansion of the field to 68), and 36 from 2014 onwards (after the split of the old Big East).

The ratings linked to in each year are those through Selection Sunday - i.e., those used to construct the Z-Bracket.

Diff. : number of at-large selections that differed between the Z-Bracket and the NCAA bracket.

Cut line: the ranking of the last at-large team to make the field.
The asterisks in the "cut line" column indicate that a team that was ineligible for postseason play was ranked high enough to receive an at-large bid. The specific teams were Georgia in 2003, Ohio State in 2005, Connecticut in 2013, and both Louisville and Southern Methodist in 2016.

"In NCAA", and "In Z-Bracket" : the names and rankings of the teams left out of one bracket or the other.

The last two columns are shown to demonstrate that in every year (except 2015), selection of the at-large teams purely by the Z-Ratings would have resulted in a net transfer of berths to the six BCS/"power" conferences (the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pacific-12, and Southeastern). In 2014, the "new" Big East remains defined as a "power" conference, based on its No. 4 overall strength.